Up to 2 days before the party, toss the wings in a little vegetable oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (or chile flakes if you want to really make it hot). Refrigerate covered.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place wings in a single layer on rimmed cookie sheets or baking pans. Add 1 cup water to each sheet pan. Cover with foil, crimping edges to create a seal.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and leave wings in oven for another 30 minutes, which will finish cooking the meat and make the wings tender enough to fall off the bone.

Let wings cool for 30 minutes. Drain juice and grease. Wrap wings with plastic wrap, if you are making them ahead. From this point, it will take 10 minutes to finish the wings and you can reheat them in batches (one sheet pan at a time).

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place wings, still in a single layer, in the oven for 10 minutes to heat through and make the skin crispy. Set a timer and watch carefully to avoid burning.